Lionel Messi Shooting Drill

The Lionel Messi shooting drill was designed with Barcelona forward, Lionel Messi in mind. By and large, Messi is considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time. In addition he is known for his quick combination play in the middle of the field, speedy dribbling, and prolific finishing. In this drill players emulate Messi as they play a quick give and go combination before shooting on goal.

Set Up

Set up two cones at the top of the 18 yard box facing a large goal. Then set up three lines as shown in the diagram. Players in the line at the end line start with the soccer balls.

How It Works

From the end line, the first player plays a pass to the shooter. The shooter plays a quick wall pass with a third player and then dribbles between the cones at the top of the D before shooting. After each repetition have players rotate to the next line in the sequence. Players in the shooting line rotate to wall passing line. Wall passers rotate to the line that starts with the ball and players who started with the ball go to the shooting line.

Coaching Points

As soon as a player in the shooting line completes the wall pass, the next ball can be put in play in order keep things moving quickly and get maximum repetitions. Have players try to perform the wall pass with one touch if they can to increase the speed of play. Coaches can have players keep track of how many goals they’ve scored and declare the first three players to score five goals the winners. After playing a round, switch sides so that players use both feet.